Shafaqna English– At the opening bell, Asian equity markets registered modest and guarded advances, mirroring a broader upward trend seen across global exchanges, while crude oil prices continued to hover around their weakest levels in several weeks – a direct consequence of the protracted deadlock in diplomatic tensions between Washington and Tehran, which has kept traders from pricing in any supply disruptions. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index – the region’s broadest benchmark – inched up by a modest 0.1%, with South Korean equities emerging as the standout performers, surging as much as 2.1% on the back of strong tech and export-driven gains, while Japan’s blue-chip Nikkei 225 retreated by 0.3% amid profit-taking and a stronger yen, though U.S. equity futures (S&P 500 e-minis) managed a fractional 0.1% uptick in after-hours trading. www.shafaqna.com